Manofkent1

This may have been the one where I used to shoot when in the TA 50 years or so ago. We had a reciprocal arrangement at the time, courtesy of one of our officers, to do this, and the RM's would, in turn, join us in night exercises. I remember also using their assault course at the barracks and not thinking much of it compared to the one at Howe Barracks here in Canterbury!

As I understood it from my days of working there, it was purpose built. We would often be at the coastguard station at leathercote point and the marines would have a bootneck stationed at lockout, keeping an eye out for fishing boats etc entering the firing range area.

It was situated at foot of cliff to cause as little impact as possible - nearest other ranges would be the indoor one at Connaught Barracks, as well as small one in DYRMS, otherwise a trip to Hythe was next option.

The one in my picture has been removed. there was a few of them along the beach. the one shown was on the Deal side of golf club road. I took loads of photos there when all the steel sea defences were on the beach. I'm not too sure if I printed many though.

Can anyone tell me if the abandoned Royal Marine rifle range at Oldstairs Bay, Kingsdown, was purpose built or converted from some previous use please? I ask because the amount of work to create it must have been great and reclaiming from the sea (which I assume it was) seems rather an expensive way to create a rifle range.